Bob Read Design Group Staffing Inc.

Bob Read has been a technical recruiter with Design Group Staffing Inc. in Calgary for the past 12 years. He is the Recruitment Coordinator for a busy and successful recruitment team primarily involved in engineering and technology for consulting engineering as well as for oil and gas and operating companies. He is a graduate of the IPM's Canadian Management Professionals and Registered Professional Recruiter programs.

Bob was a draftsperson working for oil and gas companies and service bureau mapping firms for 18 years. Since then, he has worked on local and national accounts performing strategic contract and permanent recruitment functions, project staffing, multi-discipline hiring campaigns and routine project de-staffing as well as mentoring, training and supervising other recruitment staff.

Helping ensure that a steady source of trained individuals is prepared to enter the workforce has always been a priority for Bob. This desire has led him to various outside interests over the years. For the past six years, this has taken the form of participating in an industry advisory council for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's two-year Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program. This advisory council meets regularly to render advice on technical content, assist in reviewing curriculum material and provide industry perspective on present and future hiring trends.

Bob's casual interests and hobbies include creative writing, hiking, backpacking, and building scale models of spacecraft. Bob is married with three children and has lived in Calgary since 1957.

Bob feels that the future of contract hiring in Alberta remains bright with an increasing emphasis on the hiring of personnel possessing very specific technical and project knowledge. Upcoming engineering work has Bob very excited about the potential for growth in this industry and is he glad to help Design Group play a prominent role as a staffing firm in the industry.

Paul Dodd, President and CEO, Head2Head Inc., Toronto

Paul Dodd, President and CEO, Head2Head Inc., Toronto

Paul Dodd Head2Head Inc.

Paul is president and CEO of Head2Head Inc., a niche service company he founded in 2000 to fill a void in the Canadian marketplace for expert recruiters who could be contracted or permanently placed in firms with cyclical human capital needs. Since then, Paul has seen this "recruiting recruiters" concept flourish as organizations have been forced to cut costs and streamline efficiencies in a tight market. Paul believes his success stems from a risk-taking instinct that propels him to tackle uncharted territories and "volunteer" for challenges, despite the obstacles. He also has a knack for building successful client relationships that last for the long-term.

Paul draws from a diverse background of more than 15 years experience in recruiting, both in Canada and the United Kingdom. Oblivious to his human resources destiny, he began his career as a credit controller in the UK office of a U.S. peripheral manufacturer, progressed to a financial controller for its European operations and then moved to DEC as a credit analyst. In the midst of riding the wave of deregulation of the brokerage industry, Paul was lured into a recruiting role for Lorien Plc., an emerging placement firm.

Initially hired for technical recruiting, government services and defence, Paul gradually developed an expertise for finding talent to fit telecommunications, stock trading, re-insurance and mobile solutions requirements as well. At Lorien, Paul played an instrumental role in increasing the company's business by 500% (from $8 to $45 million) during a five-year period and positioning it for an IPO in the early 1990s.

Spurred by a desire to explore new opportunities, Paul emigrated to Canada in 1997. He joined the management team of a global leader in skills management solutions and helped it reach an IPO, before partnering with the recruiting manager of a global ERP provider to launch Head2Head.

Day to day, Paul wears some corporate governance hats but dedicates significant efforts as an evangelist of the recruiting function and its untapped potential. He wants to work with marketplace leaders, such as IPM, to develop a higher professional profile for recruiting and promote metrics that justify it as a business critical service. Eventually, Paul would like to see increased integration of Canada's corporate landscape across regions, so that we can provide a synergistic approach to the global demand for talent.

In his spare time, Paul pursues as range of interests, including scuba diving, fusion cooking, interior design and acrylic painting. He also strives to keep up with a young toddler, who is a constant source of delight and activity for his wife and him.